Cuero man convicted of federal child porn distribution charges

A Cuero man pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge of distribution of child pornography.

Archie Terry Howard, 33, pleaded guilty to the crime during a hearing presided over by Senior U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey.

On June 5, a concerned citizen reported the discovery of child pornography being viewed by a house guest, Howard, on his cell phone, according to a U.S. Attorney's Office news release.

The Cuero Police Department officers responded to the call and made contact with Howard, who admitted he had been using his cell phone to acquire and view child pornography.

A forensic analysis of the phone led to the discovery of more than 2,000 suspected images and videos of child pornography and revealed Howard had distributed child pornography to other people on multiple occasions.

A sentencing hearing is set for July 2. He faces five to 20 years in federal prison.

He remains in jail pending the sentencing hearing.

The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, the Corpus Christi Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Cuero Police Department.

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This case, prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lance Duke, was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."